October 11, 2008
I would like to know when I use a public computer at, for example, a library with my own personal flash drive and I always save to that drive, is it secure? In other words, is it possible that some of the information that I type is stored on that machine? —Rob
Dear Rob, In a public setting such as a library, my opinion is that the information that you store and the data that you type is not kept on the library machine. In those settings also, the IT management team will also tend to lock down access into the machine to store cookies, passwords, etc. And while anything is possible, I would recommend prudence in what information you enter, i.e., Social Security numbers versus typing a general e-mail to family.
I've been getting a lot of spam emails and advertisements for unwanted products and services. Should I block them from my email? Or click on their links? Or ask them to remove me from their mailing lists?
Ah, the bane of all computer users. I would highly recommend getting anti-virus/anti-spam software from a local store and installing it promptly. That will mitigate, but never eliminate, spam mailings. Blocking them from your e-mail has limited effectiveness, since the e-mails can come from different sources. My recent spam e-mails are coming from offers@fling.com, but I just delete them rather than taking any other action. I would not recommend clicking on their links, as it affirms that your e-mail address is a "live" one, and you can potentially get more spam! Same result if you ask them to remove you from their mailing lists. In other words, install the software, and just delete the rest that get through.
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